Sadie Westbrook’s seemingly perfect life comes to a screeching halt when she catches her fiancé in bed with another woman. Suddenly, everything she believed in is tested and there’s only one person she can turn to—the guy who has been by her side ever since their best friend’s fell in love and became inseparable.

Ezra Collins—the bassist for the band Willow Creek—has only ever had one weakness, and her name is Sadie. When he receives a frantic call he rushes to her aid, helping to pick up the pieces of her crumbling life—even if that means letting Sadie live with him.

The close proximity tests the limits of their friendship and as the lines between friends and lovers blur they’ll have to decide if falling in love with your best friend is worth the risk of losing them.

Micalea Smeltzer continues to hold me captive with the latest addition to the Willow Creek series, In Your Heart. In You Heart is Ezra and Sadie’s story and it is emotional and intense. When Ezra comes to Sadie’s rescue, their undeniable connection once again takes hold, forcing them to face the chemistry and attraction that continues to grow between them. Their suppressed lust and unvoiced feelings result in a journey that is absolutely explosive. In Your Heart felt like it had the best of both of the previous books in this series. Ezra and Sadie share the excitement and newness of the first book, unburdened by a past romantic relationship between them, while also enjoying the solid foundation of friendship and comfortable familiarity of the second book, as these best friends are confronted by their evolving feelings. Ezra and Sadie’s journey was just as fun, steamy, and full of heart as I had hoped it would be, making it my favorite book in the Willow Creek series so far.

“I wanted so desperately to be in love,” I confessed. “Real, soul deep, shaking in the knees, forever, kind of love.”

Sadie really surprised me as I got to know her better. In the previous books she was always so vibrant, fun loving, and full of attitude, but In Your Heart shows us the underlying woman who is as vulnerable and uncertain as the rest of us. Micalea Smeltzer fully exposed this character to us, allowing me to connect with her insecurities and genuine fear of unrequited love. I loved every second of Sadie’s growth in this book. As Sadie turns her heartache and pain into a fierce determination to stand strong and independent, I found myself beaming with pride. Her story was certainly filled with unexpected ups and downs, but that sass and witty spark always simmered just beneath the surface, rounding out the emotion and heat that made up Sadie’s story. So many times I just wanted to reach out and hug her, easily seeing her as a character I could relate to and connect with.

“He was so beautiful. And maybe that was a weird thing to think about a guy, but it was true. When he was up on stage, living his dream, and loving his music, he truly was beautiful.”

Ezra had been tugging at the back of my mind since we first met him. I couldn’t wait to get to know him and thoroughly unravel this character. He was every bit as swoon-worthy and addictive as I imagined and then some. He definitely stole a piece of my heart with his unwavering loyalty and kindness. He gave his friendship to Sadie absolutely; being there for her no matter what and that was all it took to win me over. Sure, there were times when I wanted to slap him. In typical male fashion he failed at voicing his emotions honestly a time or two and unintentionally screwed things up on several occasions but that unquestionable fear of losing Sadie was always there, reminding me how deep his feelings really ran. Ezra’s charming personality and delicious physicality provided both humor and serious lust to In Your Heart.

“I think it’s about time you stood up for your feelings instead of burying them.”

In Your Heart was an exciting, heartbreaking, steamy, and hilarious journey that had me completely enthralled from the start. Ezra and Sadie’s witty banter and carefree antics kept me grinning as they navigated the unavoidable tension between them. In Your Heart packed some serious heat as things between these two got scorching hot. Micalea Smeltzer pulled at every emotion with the unforeseen twists and undeniable angst that comprised Ezra and Sadie’s journey. I loved how much we got to see of the other characters in this book. I didn’t realize how much I missed all of Micalea’s fantastic characters until the Willow Creek crew was back together again. In Your Heart felt like coming home. Seeing Maddox, Emma, Remy, and Mathias moving forward in their lives was definitely fulfilling. For the first time in the series, we got a good look at Hayes and I have to say, I’m a little in love with him. I can’t wait to hear his story next! With In Your Heart, Micalea Smeltzer has once again written a captivating and feeling novel full of humor and heart.

I looked up at the sky and the birds flying above us. “I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore. I spent two years with a guy that stripped me of my identity. I feel like all I have of myself is my store and the rest I’m left questioning. I tried so hard to please him, to make him happy, and in the end I made myself miserable. I was just so desperate for it to work out that I overlooked how toxic our relationship was. How stupid is that?”

“You’re human,” he replied. “We have this inane desire to belong to something that is greater than we are on our own. That desire is so strong that we can fool ourselves into believing things that aren’t true.”

“So, I’m not crazy?” I cracked a smile.

“Definitely not crazy.”

His smile was comforting and I reminded myself for the hundredth time that everything would be okay.

I rested my head on his shoulder and a moment later his head rested on top of mine.

Micalea Smeltzer is a bestselling Young and New Adult author from Winchester, Virginia. She’s always working on her next book, and when she has spare time she loves to read and spend time with her family.